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MMTC Calls for Proactive FCC Lead on 6G Rollout

Wireless policy needed for economic and national security, MMTC said in letter to Rosenworcel

6G Concept Image
Getty Images Zhihong Zhuo

The MMTC says it has some ideas about how the FCC can help influence the eventual rollout of 6G technology.

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel praising her for her recent remarks about 6G, but offers its thoughts on several specific issues.

[See Rosenworcel Calls for 6G Initiative]

The letter, signed by MMTC and several other organizations including the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters and civil rights groups like the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation, urged the commission to take a series of steps to ensure the delivery of affordable and accessible services to communities of color, as well as to ensure inclusion of minority- and women-owned businesses in building 6G infrastructure.

Wireless policy is necessary for economic and national security, the organization said, adding that there were unheeded signs during the early days of the 5G rollout, such as the need for additional mid-band spectrum and a lack of awareness about vulnerabilities in the nation’s supply chain.

“So let’s learn from what came before,” the letter stated. “Let’s acknowledge here and now that it is time to start thinking seriously about how we can better position ourselves for success with 6G. After all, in the age of ever-faster technical development, maintaining our leadership in high-priority emerging technology requires careful planning and execution.”

To do so, the organization asked the commission to take the following five steps:

  1. Include a diverse group of engineers and demographers on the commission’s Technology Advisory Committee.
  2. Direct the Communications Equity and Diversity Council to develop a plan for the training and inclusion of small, minority- and women-owned contractors in the 6G rollout.
  3. Provide the Office of Communications Business Opportunities with the personnel and resources needed to conduct technical and entrepreneurial training for 6G.
  4. Set a benchmark for the inclusion of minority- and women-owned businesses during the 6G rollout.
  5. Grant MMTC’s proposal to extend the cable procurement rule to all FCC-regulated technologies. This rule requires cable operators to encourage participation with minority and female entrepreneurs.

In Rosenworcel, the MMTC may have found a kindred spirit. During her speech in October to the wireless industry’s Americas Spectrum Management Conference, Rosenworcel devoted a portion of her remarks to the idea of paving the way for 6G and beyond. She cited developments that look ahead to 6G and called for an initiative that could offer recommendations on how to rollout 6G.

“If you think I’m too early on this one, think again,” Rosenworcel said at the conference. “Much like in the early days of 5G, the scrum for 6G is already intensifying.”

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